Labour would keep George Osborne's £500 a week cap on benefits and has no
plans for "now" to commit to spending more than the Tories, Ed
Balls has said.

The shadow Chancellor said he would keep the benefits cap if it is "set in the right way" as he comes under pressure to respond to public concerns about Britain's rising welfare bill.

Speaking on LBC 97.3 radio, the senior Labour MP also denied he has committed to spending more than the Conservatives as the parties head in the next election in 2015.

"It is not Labour policy," he said. "It is not something I have ever discussed.

"Is it the policy of Ed Miliband and me Ed Balls that we will decide now to bet the house with a pledge to outspend the Tories? No, that is not our policy, that is not our position. And it would be totally irresponsible.

"We’ve got a spending review in a few weeks’ time from the Chancellor. We don’t know how bad the economy is going to be then. We know he is spending much more than he wanted to because he can’t get unemployment down, we don’t know where we will be in two years’ time."